~AN ADDRESS 


DELIVERED BEFORR THE 
CITIZENS, MECHANICS, AND GUARDS, 


OF THE 


CUT OF BALBIGH > 


BY 


JAMES B. SHEPARD A. M. 


TURLT &, ABB. 


RALEIGH, N.C. 


se z 
yr Printed by T. Loring, at the Office of the North Carolina Standard. 


A 1839. 


* 


» 


Raleigh, 6th July, 1839. 

James B. Shepard, Esq, 
Sir :—The undersigned have the pleasure of uniting 
with the citizens generally in requesting the favor of you to 
furnish a copy of the Oration delivered by you on the 4th, for 


publication, 
With high considerations of bspedt 


Your ob’t ser’vts, 
WM. F. COLLINS, 
S. BIRDSALL, 
J. G. MARSHALL, 


Committee. 


To Messrs. Wm. F. Collins, S. Birdsall, and John G. Mar- 
shall— Committee. 

GENTLEMEN :—The gratifying assurances which [have 
received from every quarter, of the high value which has 
been placed upon my Address on the 4th inst. have made im- 
pressions upon the memory, not easily to be obliterated. Sev- 
eral days absence from the city, as well as the very short time 
given me to prepare any thing worthy of general approba- 
tion, had induced me to suppose that the Address would, like 
most others of a similar nature, fret its hour upon the stage, 
and then expire with the occasion which produced it. As 
you desire its publication, I see no alternative, and must there- 
fore comply with your request. Permit me to thank you, 
gentlemen, for the very polite manner in which your wishes 
have been communicated. ' 


With much esteem, 
Your friend, 


JAMES B. SHEPARD. 


Ss 


IVEY 


‘AM ADDRESS, 


Delivered im the City of Raleigh, 1839. 


Soupiers anp FeLLow-CiTizens : 

Among every people whose history hath 
been written or whose character and habits tradition hath 
disclosed, it has been thought wise and proper to insti- 
tute festivals to keep alive the spirit of liberty. In this 
country every man is the arbiter of his own actions, and 
on questions of interest and importance decides accord- 
ing to his views of propriety and justice ; whereas under 
other systems the necessity of compliance with the dic- 
tates of a master, however absurd or unreasonable, forces 
men to become tools in the hands of the profligate or am- 
bitious. It is indeed the great beauty of our system that 
merit is supposed to constitute the only passport to distinc- 
tion ; that the poorest and most obscure, as well as the 
wealthiest citizen, may advance claims to the favor of his 
Government: even as the merry warbler of the morning, 
which constructeth its humble nest in the valley, wings 
its flight upwards as well as the Eagle which buildeth 
her eyry in the cliff. Had inclination alone been con- 
sulted, your speaker could have desired that some pencil 
more able had been selected to sketch the peculiar and 
solemn duties of this day. This is the second time, my 
friends, that a portion of my fellow-citizens have called 
upon me to address them on their national jubilee: once 
in my native town, and now by the enlightened citizens 


& 


of this fair metropolis. "This with a multiplicity of en- 
gagements in the ordinary business of a profession, would 
have bid me decline an invitation which | feel by no 
means competent to fulfil. Aware, however of the anxie- 
ty with which the duties of this occasion are regarded 
throughout our country ; impressed with the important 
effects which may flow from their just and conscientious 
discharge ; and most sincerely devoted to those noble 
principles which they are intended to commemorate and 
your gallant association to protect, I could not hesitate to 
accept the flattering call in compliance with which I ap- 
pear before you. Within these walls, sacred to the evis- 
ceration of truth, we assemble not to kindle the torch of 
Alecto or minister to the gratification of bitter animosi- 


ties; but shunning the discolored streams of party poli- 


tics and the spiritless detail of the epic story of American 
freedom, I shall endeavor to impress upon your minds a 
few wholesome truths—truths, that may not indeed reach 
your ears clothed in all the fascinations of a windy rhe- 
toric, nor perhaps recommended by a sterner eloquence ; 
commanding your attention, however, by their own in- 
trinsic value. 

About the end of the fifteenth century, tis restless 
and inquiring spirit of the age put in active operation 
those speculative opinions which resulted in the establish- 
ment of our Independence. It is a singular fact that not 
one European Government had ever yet in theory con- 
ceded to its subjects civil, much less religious liberty ; 
and equally certain is it that the ancients had but a very 
dim conception of any such thing. The American rey- 
olution was therefore eminently a war of principle. It 
was long previous, however, to the close of the eighteenth 


2 


century, that men had ceased to be governed by mere 
physical force ; the superior advantages and more culti- 
vated intellects of modern time had much before then 
taught the great practical truth that all men are by nature 
equal. Resistance to taxation without representation was 
a doctrine nursed in the same vineyard with that which 
prompted Hamppen to resist the imposition of a trifling 
sum and with those which, in 1688, established the right 
of a people peaceably to assemble for the redress of griev- 
ances and by convention or otherwise remodel their Go- 
vernment. ‘These positions, which now seem as clear as 
the brightness of the noon-day sun, or as undeniable as 
any axiom in the severer sciences, were once matter of 
doubt and conjecture. ‘They are similar to many others 
which prove upon experience so unquestionable that we 
feel no little surprise at ever having indulged the least 
scepticism in regard to their truth. ‘The courts of Ku- 
rope, accustomed to the stupid flattery of those who 
sought personal distinction, to gratify avarice, vanity or 
ambition, were shocked to learn the existence of such 
bold doctrines across the broad Atlantic. The principles 
which had been acquiesced in for ages were brought to 
the test of reason by those productions which emanated 
from our ancestors, and which for strength of argument, 
beauty of diction, and simplicity of style, will stand a 
fair comparison with the best productions of Greece and 
Rome in their palmiest days. Every device was resorted 
to for the purpose of deception, mean and paltry attempts 
made to evade the true questions at issue. But the dar- 
ing occupants of the prairie, those who had endured every 
variety of hardship, those who had penetrated the most 
secret recesses of the ruthless Indian and conquered un- 


6 


aided and alone a wild and savage foe, were not thus to 
be deceived. . Beld and fearless.in the advocacy of hu- 
man rights, they defied all the cruelties and torture which 
malice and ingenuity united with power were calculated 
to inflict. ‘The dispute being stated in a simple and un- 
pretending. manner they appealed to facts, relied upon ar- 
gument and enforced their conclusions with that sincerity 
which ever accompanies a conviction of the mind. ‘Their 
petitions and remonstrances were treated with contempt, 
the chords of sympathy, brotherhood and mutual affec- 
tion were touched to no purpose. The fell design of in- 
discriminate vengeance could not longer be concealed— 
our mother-land had resolved to make her children feel 
the weight of her mighty arm and crush at one stroke 
the rising spirit of rebellion. 'The prince and his para- 
sites still cherished the fond belief of ultimate concession 
—they remained steadfast in their purpose and continued 
deaf to the voice of justice and humanity though sound- 
ed in their ears by the burning eloquence of a CHaTHAM. 
The conduct of the British ministry at that time proves 
how strange a desire men have to seek power and lose 
liberty—to pursue a shadow and reject its substance. It 
was evident that for us there was but one alternative ; 
either to submit or gallantly resist the invasion of our 
chartered privileges: and is there a human being within 
the compass of my voice, who dares claim the title of 
man and whose soul throbs with one generous emotion, 
that would not have hastened to the rescue of his country 
ata time of such imminent danger? It seemed necessa- 
ry to seize our vantage ground, to lose not a moment 
when the people smarted under the measures of those 
who should have been foremost to, protect and defend 


. 7 


them. Our peculiar situation, however, caused us to a- 
dopt that policy which true wisdom and valor must al- 
ways suggest—to take a calm and deliberate survey of 
every danger and then await the freaks and frowns of ca- 
pricious fortune. The goaded bull may rush blindfold 
upon his antagonist, but moral and intellectual man yields 
dominion to reason and judgment. If ever a resort to 
arms could be justified, certainly it was under these cir- 
cumstances. We came to this land of adventure of our 
own accord—we came here to escape those who oppres- 
sed us at home, to seek an asylum amidst the solitudes 
and sands of an unexplored region—to enjoy civil and 
religious freedom. No care had ever been manifested 
towards us until the eager eye of avaricious and civilized 
Europe perceived or imagined mines of wealth in our 
earth, or sources of gain from our favored commercial 
and agricultural position. It was no disinterested gene- 
rosity—it was this which sometimes induced Britain to 
extend a protecting hand, to foster and defend so long as 
self-interest should dictate; and if, in truth, our prosperi- 
ty were the sole cause of proffering her assistance in the 
early part of the eighteenth century, why indeed did she 
not exhibit similar magnanimity in the latter part of the 
same period? It might have been expected that, posses- 
ed of numberless resources, boasting to be the most re- 
fined and enlightened nation in Christendom and over- 
flowing with riches pouring in from every province of a 
wide extended empire, she would have given decided and 
substantial proofs of her intentions. But it was not her 
object to pursue a manly course; it was a contest for 
principles, in the support and advancement of which the 
pride and ambition of England were deeply interested, 


ee 


8 
and upon the total suppression of which depended our 
dearest rights. Instead, then, of being planted by her 
care, we fled from her persecution ; instead of receiving 
aid and protection at her hands, we grew by neglect— 
preferring even the savage wilderness to all the enjoy- 
ments of social life with the shackles of political slavery. 
A blind and devoted ministry, a weak and infatuated 
prince, a deceived people exasperated at our defiance com. 
manded us in.cold, calm, and dictatorial style, to submit. 
And submit to what? ‘To the whims, the prejudices and 
passions of misguided men—men who were utterly igno- 
rant of the fundamental principles of free Government— 
men who had given practical proofs of incompetency to 
manage and conduct the vessel of State in times of pro- 
found peace, and were of course less qualified to direct 
and control her amidst the storms of war or the conflicts 
of party. ‘The American revolution was produced by no 
one isolated event, but arose from a series of oppressions 
which prepared us to enter-into that declaration of opin- 
ions which has since been and must forever continue the 
text book of American statesmen. The elder Apams, on 
the 5th of July, ’76, the day after we became a separate 
and independent commonwealth, writing to a friend, says, 
“Yesterday the greatest question was determined which 
was ever decided among men. A resolution was passed 
unanimously that these United States are, and of right 
ought to be, free and independent ;” and this very hour, 
my friends, completes the sixty-third year since that mem- 
orable event happened—an event which will be hailed 
by future generations not only as the date of our freedom, 
but as the redemption of the human mind from the vas- 
salage of custom. The associations and prejudices of 


ares 


9 

ages being then exploded, the mind has since madeso ra- 
pid a progress as to astonish the most idle observer and 
exceed the expectations of its most enthusiastic friends. 
What bosom does not beat in ecstacy, what heart does not 
bound at the birth of an emancipation at once moral and 
mental! On this occasion, then, let the wranglings of » 
faction be drowned amidst the shouts of grateful freemen. 
We should not be cynical, for it is a nation’s jubilee.— 
Our country, though young in years, has outstripped the 
wildest dreams hob imagination had pictured for her. 
Her canvass whitens the waters of every sea, her fruitful 
fields are smiling in plenty, her magnificent cities spring 
up as if touched by the spear of Ithuriel; renowned in 
arms, and victorious in war, she imposes i none, and 
demands but impartial justice for herself, May it ever 
so continue! In the forum may honest conviction lead 
to truth and patriotism ; at the altar may purity exalt the 
feelings ; and while piety is breathing forth its incense of 
gratitude, let benevolence join its elder sister and en- 
large the circle of our best affections, il 
It now becomes us to reflect how we may preserve 

that which was achieved at such an expense of blood and 
treasure by our ancestors. With all the advantages flow- 
ing from political and social independence, we may be 
tributary in a great degree to others for that which is re- 
quisite to maintain our character and respectability ; or 
we may, in throwing aside the chains of political bond- 
age, have cut off also the sources through which we de- 
‘rived mental nourishment. It is then an important ques- 
tion, have we provided for an American literature? have 
‘we endeavored to encourage American genius, to foster 
the infant energies of intellect, and thereby strengthen 


10 


our political fabric? “When this shall have been effect- 
ed, we may bid defiance to the taunts of ignorance, the 
hopes of despotism, and the reproaches of those whose ob- 
ject it is to excite a feeling of hostility to our institutions. 
Let us provide seminaries of learning, to improve the heart 
and cultivate the intellect, and.our country will stand 
as firm as the tempest beaten rock which gathers strength 
and durability from the opposing elements. ‘There is no 
truth more clear than that a people must advance in in- 
telligence in proportion as greater progress is made in sci- 
ence and learning if they purpose to continue the privi- 
leges to which nature entitles them. Knowledge being the 
hand-maid of freedom, and freedom the patron of know- 
ledge, they must be the basis of a nation’s power; and 
upon such a foundation may be reared a superstructure at 
once solid.and enduring. The tree will indeed be plant- 
ed in our own soil, but its branches will extend to the ut- 
termost parts of the earth; all nations may resort to its 
refreshing shade—Jew and Gentile, Christian and Maho- 
_metan, the enlightened and the ignorant. Its roots will 
strike deeper ond deeper as ages “ail away. ‘The citadel 
of liberty will then be situated upon the hill of science 
and there too will the Gospel of Christ erect an altar to 
invite, to cheer and rejoice the soul of man. Unless, fel- 
low citizens, you transmit to your children through these 
means those glorious privileges won upon revolutionary 
battle-ground, it will avail little to do so at all. "The de- 
mon of faction soon rears its bloody crest to weaken the 
bonds of amity and divide those who are attracted to each 
other by the strongest ties. Under its disgusting influ- 
ence men meanly ambitious of power, place and trust 
forward their pretensions to your favor and lay their claims 


ha 


to your confidence. Under the robe of patriotism, they 
steal into your hearts and solace themselves with the idea 
of security and protection ; while conscious of not de- 
serving your esteem andregard, ‘They seek personal ag- 
grandizement at the expense of public utility and descend 
to low artifice and gross cunning to gratify a vulgar am- 
bition.. Having entered the arena of political strife be- 
fore their principles are settled or their minds mattired by 
study and reflection, they watch with eager and anxious 
eye the currents of popular prejudice—change with every 
-whim—enter into alliances offensive and defensive—fiat- 
ter the wayward humor and wild extravagance of patty, 
and profess no principles which they may not disavow. 
This dissolute conduct of public servants and their hot 
pursuit of ephemeral distinction thus disarm ambition of 
its only fascination, and forbid men of real intellect, 
sound information and spotless integrity to solicit the suf- 
frages of their friends. A long continuance in such prac- 
tices must sooner or later eventuate in stripping its victim 
of every virtue. He roams abroad through the field of 
politics, acknowledging no guide but his own disappoint- 
ed feelings—his fortune wasted—his mind weakened by 
dissipation—his power on the decline—his friends desert- 
ing their post and himself sinking into contempt. 'To 
retrieve his place in society he plays a desperate game— 
sacrifices the last remains of principle—panders to every 
vitiated appetite—intrigues for place—advocates error— 
recognises no system of action that is not expedient, and 
finally to gain a miserable subsistence, degenerates to a 
demagogue and verifies in his person the character de- 
scribed by the poet of nature, 


Vendidit hic auro patriam, dominumque 
Imposuit, fixit leges pretio, atque refixit. 


12 


As small statues set upon great bases appear the less by 
their advancement, so the demagogue by aspiring to sta- 
tions for which neither the qualities of his head nor his 
heart adapt him, falls into the more hopeless insignifi- 
cance. Such is the wretched fate of that man who aban- 
dons principle for self interest. 

It is needless here to remark that these characters 
begin too much to infest our country. Every patriotic 
citizen should hasten to strangle the monster before he 
become too powerful; and the only way to prevent im- 
position upon the people is to enlighten their minds, to 
send the cheering beams of science into every corner of 
our land. Look through the page of history, and see 
what learning and literature have effected in every age of 
the world. In Rome, every class of society breathed its 
spirit. It was not circumscribed by artificial distinctions, 
but burned as strongly in the bosom of the peasant as the 
prince. Look again, and behold Rome herself, once the 
terror of nations, and whose empire scarcely knew any 
limits, behold her now reluctantly yielding to the superior 
civilization of Greece and acknowledging the fealty which 
mere physical power must ever pay to talents and culti- 
vation. Look once more, and reflect upon the condition 
of Europe during the middle ages, and then ask your- 
selves what ee ecntcd the total subversion of all govern- 
ment? It was the literature of Greece which came in 
time to save what had nearly been forever lost. When, 
within a very few years, the fire of freedom and the 
spirit of liberty, once more aroused the energies of the 
descendants of Miltiades, how many thousands, not on- 
ly from this favored land, but from every section of the 
civilized world, rushed to suecor the noble Greek. Then 


13 

the throne of the Ottoman tottered to its foundation, the 
notes of alarm sounded from one extreme of our country 
to the other, and a Spartan band rose up as if by magic 
to battle with strangers in the cause of equal rights.— 
Think you, fellow-citizens, that the mere prospect of gain, 
the sordid compensation of a few shillings was the motive 
which induced armies to spring forward at the command 
of a people strange in language, in habits and in man- 
ners? No! no! It was the recollection of her great 
and wonderful achievements—her prowess in arms—the 
milder glories of her civic career: it was the rememb- 
rance of her long line of heroes, sages and patriots which 
nerved the arm and inflamed the imagination of every 
generous bosom. 

“Thus we see how important it is in a merely politi- 
cal view to cherish education. Its comparative neglect 
among us has been more owing perhaps to bitter party 
spirit than any other cause—a spirit which is beginning 
to penetrate the domestic circle and to engender the most 
fiendish propensities of man. It is time tocheck it; and 
so far as my observation extends, no remedy can be more 
effectual than that of religious discipline. It softens all 
the asperities of our baser nature, and makes us charita- 
ble and forgiving. And what indeed are all the acquisi- 
tions of learning, the refinements of taste, the successes 
of war, and the well planned schemes of the politician 
worth, without this vital principle? Go to the lonely 
tomb of St. Helena; and ask of him who was at once the 
favorite and the fool of fortune; Isay go and ask him 
what is their value: and echo will reply they are all hol- 
Jow and deceitful. It is true that the greatest enormities 
have sometimes been perpetrated in the name of religion ; 


14 


but it were as unwise to argue thence the impurity, or e- 
ven the inutility of all moral doctrine, as to conclude 
that Atheism and Infidelity necessarily attend a free gov- 
ernment, because forsooth these teok root and flourished 
during the French revolution. 

While the intellect, then, is cultivated, we should 
not disregard what is by far the most important—the im- 
provement of our moral nature. An entire or even a 
considerable share of attention bestowed on the Juxuries 
of mere animal economy, appears to the.most indifferent 
profligate so disgusting that he has not the boldness to de- 
fend in theory what he concedes by practice. It was in- 
deed the promulgation and open advocacy of this doctrine 
which branded with perpetual'infamy the school of Epi- 
curus. ‘Though none among you, my friends, would 
coolly argue in favor of sensuality, and sacrifice charac- 
ter by an attempt to build Epicureanism upon a system 
of logic, yet I fear that too many, especially of the young 
at the present day, practice what they dare not preach, 
and make voluptuousness the god of their idolatry. — 
They gladly admit that propriety, if, not religion, ought 
to be the guide of their conduct ; but, in truth, the enjoy- 
ments of sense seduce them ae the path of virtue, 
while every higher incentive is abandoned, and they sub- 
mit to a moral bondage far more degrading than any o- 
ther. With all the advantages of science and philosophy, 
with all the embellishments of literature and the elegancies 
of classical learning, if our moral nature be not govern- 
ed, subdued and controlled by an unswerving rectitude 
of purpose, a man may become the slave of animal appe- 
tite, and.a much less’ useful constituent part of society 
that the daily laborer who has been debarred of al] the 


15 


privileges which general education bestows. How sad 
is the reflection that those powers and faculties which 
were given by omnipotence itself may be directed to ends 
worse than useless—that low pleasures should occupy 
and the vilest excesses debauch a mind capable of the 
most exalted conceptions! Without proper moral train- 
ing for the varied scenes of active life, of what value 
will be all our attainments? They will be like the pre- 
cious gems of the east, concealed beneath. valueless ore ; 
or if they strike they resemble the electric shock, which 
touches but to destroy. ‘The man of talents who conse- 
crates not its use to the advancement of truth and virtue, 
can neither be happy himself nor confer happiness on o- 
thers. Nay, farther, he may by example, which is far 
more potent than precept, corrupt countless numbers; e- 
ven as the noxious effluvia from the low grounds vitiates 
the atmosphere of all the surrounding mountains. Great 
endowments, if not under due subjection to those fixed 
and immutable laws which govern the moral world, can 
but render their possessor more wretched, because his 
guilt.is the greater from having abused the choicest bles- 
sings of heaven. He resembles those noxious insects 
which draw poison from the flowers, whence also is ex- | 
tracted the purest honey. It is all-important in this age 
and country, to press these views, because we are becom- 
ing too prone to pay to genius alone those honors which 
when united only with other great qualities it should 
command. Ina republic like this, it is worshipped ; to 
it all bow with deference, and are ready to yield obies- 
ance. It is.regarded as an atonement for the perpetra- 
tion of crime, and a guarantee to licentiousness and ir- 
regularity. But let ‘the blind. devotee recollect that the 


16 
‘man of humble pretensions, who controls his temper, 
who cannot be induced by any considerations, or driven 
by fear from the path of honor and religion, is a worthier, 
a more exalted object than the most gifted intelligence 
united with vice and crime. Stocked with learning and 
having at your fingers end the most exquisite morceaux 
of ancient and modern wit, you. may be cajoled by your 
friends and admirers; but you will still resemble the 
mount of Ad%tna, upon whose surface bloom and blossom 
the most luseious fruits of romantic Italy, while within 
the elements are raging, and soon boil over, laying waste 
the most beautiful prospect in nature. Thus it is evident 
that in every situation of life reckless indifference or un- 
disciplined passion may thwart the noblest purposes and 
render useless every other acquisition. Are you then in- 
structing your children, the rising generation, in a man- 
ner to prevent so fatal a termination to all your cherished 
hopes and anxious solicitude? Reflect a moment; of 
what value will be all other accomplishments if you nou- 
rish within them that pride which engenders a peevish 
and fretful temper, that love of the card-table, the gaming 
house and the brothel which will soon blast their health 
and prospects? Be assured, my friends, that virtue is 
absolutely necessary to ensure a tranquil conscience ; that 
it can be secured only by diligent and persevering vigi- 
lance, ‘that when once established in the firm and immu- 
table principles of Christian faith, you need neither. soli- 
cit the favor nor fear the displeasure of any. The conse- 
quence of our foregoing remarks is clearly this; when 
the disenthralled soul is translated to the residence of the 
wicked, the more exalted and refined it is, the fiercer 
must be its pains. Picture then to yourselves one whose 


7 

talents and learning have been acknowledged by the plau- 
dits of his countrymen, ratified by the acquiescence of 
other nations. Perhaps assembled thousands have listen- 
ed in breathless suspense to his eloquent discourse and 
paid a willing homage to his brilliant exhibitions of wit 
and fancy. Perhaps the wreath of victory has encircled 
his brow—perhaps beauty and fashion have bowed in 
deference to his claims and felt proud in their humility. 
Perhaps an aged mother—perhaps the playmate of his 
youth and the friend of his riper years—perhaps the shar- 
er of his joys and the partner of his sorrows join the 
throng and swell the anthems of his praise. How in- 
tense, how absorbing must be the delight which results 
from a conquest so unlimited! And now suppose this 
gifted being expiring under the frown of an angry God 
and transported to a place where he can no longer be 
soothed by the syren tongue of flattery, where all that 
meets the eye or attracts the attention but reminds him 
of time wasted, talents abused, opportunities neglected 
and faculties misapplied. What, 1 ask you, must be the 
torture of such a victim? “His greater susceptibility will 
indeed only make him feel more keenly the horrors of 
despair. May you then, fellow citizens, who have been 
fortunately blessed with more than an ordinary share of 
genius, so direct it as to benefit and adorn society. 

By such a course of moral and mental discipline as 
I have here recommended, we may check the presump- 
tion of those who cherish the hope that our republic will 
break against the rock which has proved so fatal to others. 
The greatest danger to our institutions must arise from 
too much or too little excitement.of the body politic; in 


different phrase, from faction or fromapathy. The form- 
3 


18 


er will be prolific of demagogues: the latter encourage 
our rulers to usurp power or stretch what is legitimate 
beyond all necessary or useful limits. Already have cal- 
culations of our existence been made. M. De 'Tocque- 
ville, a recent French traveller, states that in less than 
one century our population will have increased to 100, 
000,000, and argues thence that such confusion will arise 
as must necessarily overwhelm us in civil war. He be- 
lieves, therefore, that either there must be a number of 
petty republics as in ancient Greece, whose contentions 
will keep us in ceaseless turmoil, or that an absolute mo- 
narchy, with a central government, will be the result.— 
But fellow-citizens, the same predictions were made years 
ago when we had a scanty population, and the venerable 
prophets of those days chaunted tothe same tune. ‘Time, 
at once the teacher and the master of man, has disproved 
their wanton assumptions, and will continue to exhibit the 
beauties of our system in still greater perfection as circum- 
stances occur to test its essential strength. When the 
country was wrought up almost to frenzy by the Alien 
and Sedition Law, when the heart of the patriot began 
to tremble, when every thing threatened sudden destruc- 
tion and the rage of civil war seemed ready to burst over 
our devoted heads, the arms of reason at last prevailed— 
the constitution, that monument of wisdom and valor, 
that relic of virtue and sagacity, indicated its own means 
of preservation. And in still later times, a very remarka- 
ble instance has occurred of the elasticity of our system 
to reconcile contending factions and conciliate the most 
violent animosities. 
O fortunatos nimium, sua si bona norint ! 

Fears often arise when our country is most vigorous and 


i9 


healthy, as the very excess of prosperous fortune will 
sometimes be productive of confusion. Let us then nev- 
er despair of the Republic ; for though our constitution 
undoubtedly has defects, (and what thing mortal has not ?) 
yet by a strict and literal construction, we can always at 
least prevent usurpation.. ‘That sacred instrument ought 
to be our constant study ; for it contains stores of wisdom 
and truths precious to every lover of his country. On 
its pages the speculative inquirer after truth may find 
theory reduced to fact; those exulting in tyranny must 
fee] rebuked ; the haughty may learn the value of justice 
and the weak may see cause for praise and adoration.— 
And permit me here to express the deep conviction that 
it will pass unscathed through every ordeal to which it 
may be’subjected—that, like the glorious God of day who 
appears more splendid when aed with the clouds 
of heaven and strikes us more forcibly as he gradually 
enlightens the world and,charms all animated existence 
—like him, the star of our prosperity will shine with re- 
doubled lustre, to attract the gaze and chain the affections 
of earth’s wandering pilgrim. Blemishes it may have, 
but they resemble those spots in the sun which became 
lost in its dazzling effulgence. 

If unfortunately, however, it should be threatened, 
let every citizen nerve his arm and embolden his heart 
for great and noble action. He can never be employed 
in a worthier cause or lose his life in a more glorious 
struggle. The praises, the gratitude and affections of re- 
motest time will attend his name and embalm his memo- 
ry. Hewill be pointed to by the heroes and patriots of 
other nations as a bright example of virtue—as a model 
worthy of imitation. At the tocsin of alarm, let each 


20 


strive for the post of danger and buckle on the armor of 
truth to fight against error. If blessed with mental acu- 
men, let him exert it for his country; if feeble, cast in 
your pittance, that it may not prove useless. Zealous in 
the cause, and unwarped by the rage of parties, unsway- 
ed by the madness of ambitious men, and content with 
the enjoyment of a clear conscience he may look abroad 
from his proud eminence, and see the troubled waters. as 
they move along, sweeping away every thing good and 
valuable. With a mind above the reach of those low 
and vulgar passions which sometimes distort the best cha- 
racters, he can perceive every danger as it rises, prompt 
to seize the first opportunity to avenge an injured coun- 
try and redress the wrongs of an insulted people. Let 
him not repine at his lot. For, his own satisfaction, he 
will recollect the singular reason which was assigned by 
Greece when she banished Aristides whose whole heart 
and soul had been devoted to advance her interest and 
promote her glory. He will recollect also the life of our 
own Washington. All his private and public virtues, his 
entire devotion to the cause of human freedom and his 
unceasing efforts to terminate with success an arduous 
conflict, had well nigh failed. The hoarse murmurs of 
discontent and dark muendoes were abroad. His charac- 
ter was questioned, vituperation followed suspicion and 
the apostle of freedom had almost fallen a victim to the 
cavils of envy. ‘To the reproach of poor human nature 
the truth, however painful; must be conceded. 

When fame’s loud trump has blown its proudest blast, 

Tho’ long the sound, the echo sleeps at last ; 

And glory, like the Phenix ’midst her fires, 

Eixhales her odors, hlazes and expires. 


21 


His name, however suffered but a momentary eclipse 
which only presented it in fairer relief and more charm- 
ing colors when the mists of ignorance and passion had 
subsided, and reason had reassumed her reign. ‘The pri- 
vations, losses and:sufferings to which he had_ cheerfully 
submitted, the pains he had endured, the detraction which 
he bore with a meek and quiet spirit, snatched from envy 
its cherished hopes, and rendered the hero of Yorktown 
the idol of a grateful country.. Pawns sounded in his 
praise throughout the land; and in the intoxication of 
the moment, we were scarce more devoted to freedom 
than its author. 

Allow me, in behalf of my gallant comrades in arms, 
to address a very few remarks to those who are now hon- 
oring us with their. presence, and who, from their pecu- 
liar station in society, wield a mighty power for good or 
evil. ‘There is no alehymy which can produce so rapid, 
thorough and perfect a change in the materials upon which 
it operates, and nothing in nature which possesses such 
absolute dominion and empire over the heart, as an edu- 
cated and interesting woman. 'The radiant smiles of beau- 
ty and the soul-stirring emotions which they excite in our 
bosoms, have effected more revolutions than any other 
cause. How vast her power, how secret, and yet how en- 
during her influence! She was created to act a very im- 
portant part-over the morals and the destiniesof man. In 
early childhood, he is perhaps more dependant than any 
other being. It is then that the mother must determine 
her course, for then it is that the fancy sways the affec- 
tions, and reason is too weak to control. The mind, plas- 
tic and ready to assume any impression, can then be mould- 
ed. Every virtuous principle should therefore be implant- 


tot 


ae 


ed, every vicious propensity discouraged, and every ave- 
nue to truth and wisdom developed. Let all your instruc- 
tion tend to inspire him with a proper pride; for it will 
keep him from vice, and make him shun a mean or dis- 
honorable action. ‘Tell him not to sacrifice his self-esteem 
for any object however dear, or any treasure however pre- 
cious. Tell him it is not sufficient merely to possess good. 
principles, or refrain from outraging the more ordinary 
decencies of life; but also to hold in contempt every thing 
which is equivocating or sordid. 'T'ell him that integrity 
and honor are more precious than gaudy wealth or empty 
titles. Inspire him with that unyielding firmness and re- 
solution—that peculiar national feeling—that regard for 
character, which rejects with scorn and repels with con- 
tempt-every adventitious aid, and relies upon merit alone 
for promotion and advancement. I know it is a habit 
among the vulgar to suppose that woman is an inferior 
being to man, but it is an unerring evidence of ignorance. 

Read the history of the world, ned can men produce finer 
specimens of bravery, eloquence, patriotism, benevolence 
or fortitude? And who have made more noble contribu- 
tions to science, literature and the arts than Madam Lepaute, 
Lady Montagu, Madam Galvani, Miss Herschel, Mrs. Ib- 
betson, Mrs. Beaufoy, Mrs. Belzoni and Mrs. Somerville: 
besides a host of others in every department of learning ? 
‘This continent owes its discovery to Isabella, who pledged 
her royal jewels to defray the expense of a voyage where- 
by she gave to Leon a new world, and to us this wide and 
smiling heritage. Away, then, with this stale imputation 
upon female genius. ‘To the charms of person, therefore, 
they now add those of refined intellect and graceful man- 
ners. As a mother then, woman, by her varied accomplish- 


yas 3 


ments, is now fully competent to her important task ; and 
well may it be termed important, for from her the infant 
receives the rudiments of instruction, and she too first im- 
plants in its tender bosom the elements of every honorable 
impulse. Asa sister, she succeeds in chastening the more 
impetuous passions and leads unconsciously to the prac- 
tice of those virtues which polish the sterner- attributes of 
intellectual vigor. Asa friend, the sentiment with which 
a young and lovely woman inspires a man of high and 
chivalrous feeling is pure and holy: it absorbs every en- 
ergy of his soul sa eh a his thoughts and throws a charm 
over every prospect in life. How consoling in affliction, 

what a solace in adversity to know there is one who re- 
gards with anxiety every incident of your life! _ May you, 

then, my fair friends—the polished corners of « our repub- 
ican edifice—continue to cheer on the youth of ¢ our coun- 
try to all to which a worthy ambition should aspire ; and 
may you reap the rich reward of so doing in the enjoy- 
ment of every rational blessing. Cherish with vestal fer- 
vor all the virtues and graces of humanity. 

SOLDIERS OF THE RALEIGH GUARDS: 

At the revolution in Mexico during the 
latter part of ’31, or early in 732, many of the European 
Spaniards fled for safety and protection to the house of 
our Ambassador, The natives who had revolted because 
of the elevation of Pepraza to the Presidential chair, 
succeeded in their object, and placed their favorite at the 
head of the Mexican Government. Being provoked at 
the friendship extended to their enemies by a foreign min- 
ister, they resolved to attack his dwelling, and pointing 
their musketry towards the building waliit soon have lev- 
elled it to the ground, Mr. Pornsrrr, however, perceiy- 


24 


ing the irritated multitude, immediately assumed a. posi- 
tion which commanded the’crowd, and seizing the star- 
spangled banner, waved it aloft requiring protection for 
all under its ample folds. ‘We are told the scene chang- 
ed as by enchantment, and that the very men who were 
about to make the attack cheered the standard of our . U- 
nion, and actually placed sentinels to guard it from, out- 
rage.~ Neither the history nor traditionary fables of any 
people afford a scene of such moral sublimity and gran- 
deur. It is an event which should be impressed upon 
the memory of every youth, to inspire him with respect 
for his country, and veneration for her very. name. He 
should learn to adore that emblem which protects him a- 
broad, and by a singular magic throws its shield around 
strangers in a foreign land. Cold and callous must f 
the bosom which could contemplate such a scene with- 
out emotion. Imagine for an instant, that you were pre- 
sent_when the representative of your country spread out 
the star-spangled banner, and subdued the harsh and 
angry tumults of a lawless banditti. Behold the crowd 
so lately mad with fury, now bend before the majesty of 
a free people! Watch how that sullen and contracted 
brow suddenly becomes illumed, as it-perceives the God- 
dess of Liberty stretching out her pinions to the breeze. 
Under your vigilance, Iam stire, the honor of our flag 
will be preserved untarnished, and you will uphold its sa- 
ered ark, should daring and licentious man presume to 
touch and defile. JT am convinced that you need no in- 
citement from me to defend that charge which is bequeath- 
ed to you asa rich legacy. Simply to preserve it, how- 
ever, is not sufficient ; you must transmit it to your chil- 
dren with all the improvements which time and more en- 


25 


lightened views of man’s nature may suggest, Cheris!: 

with gratitude and pride the history of your native State. 
~ Remember that on her soil, in 1584, near three centuries 
since, under the guide and auspices of Sir Warrer Ra- 
LEIGH, the flax of England was first unfurled; on the 
same soil, in 1775, the Independence of our country firsé 
declared ; and, if the cause of truth and justice must per- 
ish upon earth, on the same, [trust in God,may be heard 
the latest groans of expiring freemen. 


